feature ingredient: acai~ an ecologically sound antioxidant

Acai (INCI name: Euterpe Olerace) is a dark purplish hued berry that is native to South America. It's produced by a species of palm tree commonly found in Brazil. Acai is considered a superfruit due to its high antioxidant content, particularly for the flavanoids which help prevent oxidation caused by free radicals. Acai is touted for having even higher antioxidant content than many other superfruits like blueberries, blackberries, strawberries or cranberries. It's popping up in everything from drinks to energy bars to (you guessed it) skin care!

In addition to being rich in antioxidants, acai is an ecologically sound ingredient and renewable resource, much like the grape seed. Greenpeace states that harvesting acai berries is an "alternative to logging" and has produced multi-millions per year in revenue for the Amazon rainforest without chopping down trees.

I've been experimenting with acai in our formulations for a few years. It's a perfect compliment to our namesake grape seed to boost antioxidant levels even higher in formulations.

find it in:
whipped grapeseed & shea body butters
vine eyes anti-aging cream with eyebright

other ways to use acai:
~create your own facial treatment with acai with our Fresh from your Kitchen DIY beauty recipe
~check out Acai: eco beauty in a bracelet to see alternative ways the ecologically sound berry is being used.

TGIF: Free Shipping until midnight PST

TGIF! Get free shipping on all of our dirty dog organics, baby g and grapeseed co. products through midnight tonight. Valid on retail orders $30+ only (not valid on wholesale) 

code: tweetFB11

eco-beauty class: create your own home scents Jan. 26

create your own reed diffuser & room spray at our January eco-beauty class

date: Wed. 1/26/11
time: 7-8:00 PM

location: The Grapeseed Co. store 201 W Carrillo St. in downtown Santa Barbara

Join us Wed. evening to create your own flameless home fragrances. We'll make a a reed diffuser and a room & body spray with your own custom scent creation. Enjoy treats and refreshments after class. 

please reserve your spot by purchasing online here, call 805-456-3655 or stop in the store 

*You will not be charged shipping or sales tax for this class.
 
*Limited space available; only your purchase reserves a spot in this class. A waiting list will be available when the class fills up.

Cancellation Policy~class cancellation (with a full refund to your credit card) can be completed by emailing orders@thegrapeseedcompany.com up to 48 hours (2 days) in advance.
~Anytime after 48 hrs. you will be charged for the class unless we can fill your spot from the waiting list.

fresh from your kitchen: breathe relief rub

I don't know about you, but I always get sick when I finally get time off. I may have overbooked a bit the last few months of 2010. Being new to the whole retail scene during the holiday season, I knew traveling to visit family in Boston was out of the question this year with our new store... so I had the brilliant idea to host both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our families were up for it and traveled from the East coast to be with us in Santa Barbara, which was wonderful. What was not so wonderful was the killer cold that set in the first minute I sat down, stopped working and relaxed. I collapsed on the couch, sinus pressure set in followed by the usual suspects: a hacking cough, mild fever, congestion and overall feeling like crap. Luckily, my husband ran down to The Grapeseed Co. store and grabbed some essential oils for me to work some cold relief magic with. I whipped up my standby cold care steam recipe I've shared with you before, and made a batch of my special breathe relief rub to kick that cold to the curb.

Breathe Relief Rub

Remember that petroleum based Vick's Vapo Rub mom rubbed on your chest as a kid? I make a natural version with 3 simple ingredients:
2 oz 100% pure grapeseed oil (our travel size bottle is perfect to mix essential oils in and easily fits in a bag or purse to take with you and reapply as necessary)
15 drops eucalyptus EO
10 drops peppermint EO

 

directions:

Unscrew the lid to your travel grapeseed oil bottle. Carefully add the essential oils.
Cap the bottle and shake vigorously.
Apply as needed to your chest and breathe deep.

how it works:

Grapeseed oil is a perfect choice for all skin types and absorbs quickly into the skin, carrying the essential oil (EO) mixture with it. Eucalyptus and peppermint oils are known to help clear the respiratory system and ease breathing.

All ingredients are available by clicking on the links in the recipe above.  My resolution in 2011 is to slow down a bit, rest more and take better care of myself so I don't get sick! 

Stay healthy :)

Health Magazine: Toast to Bubbly's Big Benefits

Health magazine has a great feature called "secret natural ingredient" in each issue. In the spirit of the holidays, champagne was the choice for December! We were contacted to discuss the benefits of grape seeds. I also provided this indulgent Fresh From your Kitchen beauty recipe to be included in the article. Check out #2 Skin Salve... thanks for including us!

What a difference a year can make!

2010 was an amazing year of change for us, with so many exciting turn of events it's hard to believe looking back on things that it all happened in just one year... 
(which might explain why I keep asking people where 2010 went!)

At exactly this time last year, we were over the moon thrilled to be moving The Grapeseed Co. into a "real" office building. We could not have done this without the incredible team at Rightscale, a cloud computing company who let us sublet some unused space and set up a production kitchen and office in their new office building.

Just shy of six months later, we signed on the dotted line to open the first Grapeseed Co. store in downtown Santa Barbara. My handy hubby spent his summer break (he's a high school teacher) helping me plaster, build, paint and create the lovely oasis that is both our current storefront and manufacturing facility. It's been 4 months since we've opened our retail doors and it still brings a smile to my face each morning when I walk in. (Maybe I'm smiling just a bit because I know we will not be moving the business twice in 2011 like we did in 2010!)

We added some incredible members to The Grapeseed Co. team. We are so thankful to be working with such talented, kind, smart, eco-conscious people each day.

I joined forces with Lisa Rodgers of Cactus and Ivy to launch Personal Care Truth (PCT)- a cosmetic information portal based on science backed info, not scare tactics. In 7 months we've added 12 experts in various facets of the cosmetics industry from all over the USA to Europe & Australia. We've taken the approach that sharing scientific info and discussing it is not only a huge positive for those in our industry, but for everyone who uses personal care products. Consumers can ask the experts in the industry questions and get real answers about what they are putting on their skin rather than sifting through the false marketing claims and misinformation that is plaguing the internet and other forms of media lately.

We launched Baby g, Whipped Grapeseed Body Butters, Body Washes and additions to our Mojito Man, Wine Bar Organic Soap and Vinotherapy Skin Care lines, all because so many of you contacted us and asked to do so! In addition, I set up my little dream- a self scent bar in the store where you can create and customize your own natural skin care products. I also started teaching classes on making natural skin care and all its fabulous benefits.

Most of all, I am incredibly thankful to all of you for loving our products and spreading the word about us. None of these milestones would have been achievable without you. May 2011 bring you all you wish for along with peace, health & happiness.

 cheers,